Seeing Stars
by Crimson Pooka
Summary: Kagome loses one of her major senses unexpectedly, and learns to deal with it. Her injury draws strangers to her, and one demon in particular.
1. One Fine Day

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inu-Yasha, or any of the characters. Yes, it makes me very sad.

A/N: whoo! First chapter up! Huzzah!

_The untended Kosmos my abode,_

_I pass, a willful stranger;_

_My mistress still the open road_

_And the bright eyes of danger._

Chapter 1

When she woke up, she knew that it wasn't going to be a good day. It was a feeling in her head – like a migraine – but it wasn't fully developed. This meant that it would get worse.

She was laying in her sleeping bag, enjoying her last few moments of sleep before Inu-Yasha dragged her up to start the day. The sun was partially shining on her face, which was why she was starting to wake. The sun was there – and then it wasn't.

Instead there was something heavy on her face. It blocked out the sun! As she thought this delightedly, a curiosity formed inside her to see the wonderful item that stopped the light. She opened her eyes a little, and a smiley face print met her stare. '_Hmm._ _It kind of looks like underwear…' _she thought indifferently.

'_But why would underwear be on my face?...The only underwear that should be outside of my bag is the pair that I'm **wearing**...so what is this doing here?'_

Although she wasn't very quick in the morning, she grinned mentally at how fast her next thought came. '_UNLESS, someone took them OUT of my bag!'_ But now she was confused again, which slowed her thought process.

'_But I'm the only one who goes through my bag. I think. Although Shippo does when he's looking for candy…and Sango when she gets the shampoo…"_ She frowned under the cloth, her confusion bringing her further out of dreamland.

'_But who else would go through my – INUYASHA!'_ She awoke suddenly, and popped up. She repeated his name as she grabbed the underwear from her lap in a tight fist. She woke up to a scene from a horror movie.

Her clothes – her **underwear** – were scattered all over the campsite! She could see Miroku stretching a pair to her left. She blushed fiercely as she rushed to him and snatched it. It was one of her favorites! The one with the kitties and the pink bows! But she snapped out of her trance when she saw him grab another one. It was like a video game: stop the pervert from grabbing the undies.

Sango and Shippo joined in, and it was another 2 minutes before they had the underwear contained and the pervert unconscious. She rounded on the culprit, who was still digging.

"**Inu-Yasha.**" she said menacingly. "What?" he said. "What are you doing?" she asked darkly as she came closer. "I'm looking for the ramen! What does it look like I'm doing, wench?"

"Oh, I don't know…" she said casually. "It looks like you're throwing my underwear and the rest of my clothes all over the place." He glanced up quickly then continued to dig. "Those are just minor setbacks. The prize will make up for it!" he said.

She couldn't control herself any longer. "Inu-Yasha!" she yelled. "I told you last night that I would get the ramen myself since it was at the bottom of my bag! But you couldn't wait for me to do it! NO, you had to do it yourself, chucking all my stuff out!"

His ears went back as he watched her face get redder. He knew where this was heading, but maybe he could calm her before it was too late! "But Kagome –"he said cautiously.

"SIT!" she yelled, sending him into the ground.

She sighed as she rubbed her head. "There are two ways of doing things, Inu-Yasha. There's the smart way, and the stupid way. Why do you constantly choose the stupid way?" She asked sadly.

"Oi!" he said angrily when the spell wore off. "You calling me stupid, wench?"

"No, I just said that your choices are stupid," she answered tiredly as she got the ramen. "Oh," he answered.

Five seconds later… "Oi!"

She sighed again as she watched the water boil. "This is not a good day…" she muttered.

By late afternoon she had a horrible feeling in her head. The migraine was reaching its peak, which worried her. She knew that something absolutely terrible was about to happen, but she didn't know when.

She tried to keep a smile on her face throughout the day, but the migraine keep clawing its way into her thoughts.

"Kagome, you've been staring at that patch of grass ever since we stopped here. What's wrong?" Sango asked. Kagome sighed. "I have a feeling that something bad is about to happen. I'm nervous, I guess," she said. Sango patted her back. "Don't worry, Kagome-chan. I'll keep an eye out for anything strange, but I'm sure that things will be fine."

Kagome nodded unhappily. "Thanks, Sango. You're probably right." But she still couldn't shake the ominous feeling she had.

Just then a young man ran up to them, panting. He glanced around hurriedly until he saw Sango's large boomerang. "You must help us!" he pleaded, and kneeled in front of Sango. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Our village is in need of help! There is a youkai that terrorizes us. It has come for the past four days, and we don't have enough people left to fight it! Please help us," he begged.

Kagome was relieved. This was normal. There was nothing strange about people asking them for help. She glanced at Sango and nodded. Miroku also nodded his face solemn.

"Of course we will help you. Does the youkai come at a certain time?" Sango asked as she gathered her things. The man nodded quickly. "It usually comes around sunset," he said. Kagome looked at the sky and noted the sun's position. "I think we should hurry if we want to get there before it does," she said firmly. "I agree," Miroku said.

"Oi! You all are forgetting that I don't agree, and I'm the one leading the group!" Inu-Yasha shouted. "We have to help them, Inu-Yasha," Kagome said. "Besides, I feel a jewel shard coming from that direction. It might be the youkai that's going to attack the village."

He paused, and then glared at her. "Well why didn't you say that earlier, wench?" he asked. "Let's go already!" She smiled and followed the group, the feeling in her head forgotten. She didn't think that this youkai was what was making her head hurt. It would be easy to deal with. Right?

A/N: If anyone can guess correctly who wrote the above poem/quote, you'll get kudos at the beginning of the next chapter. Just write a review with your guess. :)


	2. I Have A Bad Feeling

Disclaimer: I'll have the usual 'don't own Inu-Yasha' special please, along with a Root Beer.

A/N: Second chapter! Huzzah! (I wonder if I'll do this every chapter --') I absolutely have to thank all the lovely reviewers: wildthudakat, and mangadreams. Cookies!

Silver Water 7: Kudos! I have to mention that my reference says that comes from _Youth and Love_ (don't know what that means), but I wouldn't be surprised if they were wrong. But the author is correct! Kudos and a cookie for you!

_The difference between despair_

_and fear, is like the one_

_Between the instant of a wreck,_

_And when the wreck has been._

_The mind is smooth, -no motion-_

_Contented as the eye_

_Upon the forehead of a Bust,_

_That knows it cannot see._

Chapter 2

The village was empty when the group arrived with their guide. There was an unnatural silence, not even the sound of whispers. Kagome glanced around before looking at the guide.

"Where are all the people?" she asked quietly. Miroku nodded seriously. "I would like to know as well," he said. The guide motioned them to the house closest to them. "The rest of the village is in this building," he answered. Inu-Yasha looked at the building dubiously, but remained quiet as the man knocked.

"Who is it?" a gruff voice answered. "Yuu, with a group to help us," he answered. A small slot opened and an eye looked at the bunch before opening the door.

"Please come in," the man said. "We are grateful for your assistance." They went inside, Yuu bringing up the rear.

The building was bigger than they realized, and full of people. Kagome saw with pain that most of the people there were women with children and elderly people. There were at most 12 able-bodied men, a few looking no older than 15. There was a pile of battered weapons in the corner of the room towards the door.

The man that let them in bowed and introduced himself. "I'm Aito, the leader of this village. I assume that Yuu told you of the situation?" he looked at each of them before settling on Sango.

She stepped up and bowed. "I'm Sango. Yes, he told us of the youkai. We of course offered to help. I have a few questions. Firstly, what kind of demon is it, and do you have a plan of how to defeat it?"

Kagome was surprised at Sango's professional transformation. She shook her head, telling herself that she should have expected it, considering her background. Apparently Aito was surprised as well, blinking before continuing.

"It appears to be a bull youkai, or something related to that. As for a plan of attack, we are inexperienced with these sorts of things, so I'm afraid we don't."

Sango nodded and asked him to gather the men that would assist them. The 12 that Kagome had seen earlier stepped up with nervous looks.

"Now then," Sango started. "If it is a bull youkai, the best way to defeat it would probably be to knock it down, then rope its feet and head before delivering a death strike. Containing it before hand will give us a better chance of killing it cleanly without too many injuries. So we'll need a lot of rope. I can rope pretty well, but anyone else who has experience would be good."

She looked to Aito, who nodded. "I'll send someone to get the rope. Meanwhile, I know of at least three men in this group who know how to rope something." He pointed them out.

While Sango asked them about their experience, Kagome went to sit outside with Miroku. "Do you think it will be hard to defeat it?" she asked him worriedly. He looked thoughtful while he answered. "It shouldn't be too hard, but any angry youkai should not be taken lightly."

Kagome nodded. "I'm glad that Sango knows how to organize attacks. I think that many of the villagers died because they didn't think of a systematic way to go about it." Miroku agreed.

"Don't worry, Kagome," Shippo said, patting her cheek. "With Sango and Miroku and Inu-Yasha to protect you, nothing can go wrong." Kagome smiled and tickled him. The migraine was still lurking in the back of her head.

She decided not to mention it as they headed to where the bull usually approached the village. The meadow was trampled with holes all over, hidden by the broken grass stems. They didn't have to wait long, for as soon as they settled down, the ground started shaking.

Everyone jumped up and went into the positions Sango described – a semicircle open towards the bull and defending the village.

The bull was thrown off for a second before charging the circle. The group threw stones they had gathered while spreading out to surround the bull.

The bull paused. _This is new_, it probably thought to itself.

They were moving into phase 2 of the plan. They had to distract it, making noises on alternating sides to confuse the youkai. Inu-Yasha would then tip it over, and they would rope the feet and its head. The last phase was the death strike, which Inu-Yasha happily offered to deliver.

The scene inside of the building must have affected him, because he hadn't complained about anything.

Looking back on it, Kagome should have known he wouldn't follow along so easily. She had her suspicions, but she let them go. Unfortunately, Inu-Yasha was – and always will be – a plan-killer. But it was too late for her to do anything.

Inu-Yasha was about to tip the bull youkai over, when he decided to move the death-strike up a few phases.

"_I'm right here in front of the thing. I should just kill it now, and save everyone the trouble,_" he reasoned to himself.

The bull had a rope around its head when Inu-Yasha tried to kill it. It swung its head in a high arch, pulling everyone holding the rope into the air. One of its horns pierced Inu-Yasha's arm, and he punched it, trying to get away.

Kagome, it so happens, was on the end of the rope that flew in the air. With Inu-Yasha currently indisposed, she landed hard on the ground. Dazed, she stumbled across the field.

"Whew, that was a doozy," she mumbled to herself. She had a growing knot on the side of her head where it hit a tree root.

She didn't know that Inu-Yasha was fighting the bull right behind her. All she knew was that the migraine had increased to extreme proportions, and she just wanted to lay down. She walked on, blissfully ignorant of the bull about to charge Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha kind of regretted his decision. The death-strike hadn't worked too well. In fact, he hadn't even delivered it, due to the youkai's stubbornness. "_Damn it!_" he thought angrily as he jumped out of the way.

His anger was replaced by fear as he saw Kagome walking in the path of the running bull.

Kagome felt the ground rumbling but thought nothing of it until she heard Inu-Yasha frantically call her name. She irritably turned around to face him. Couldn't he see that she was tired of the stupid bull youkai and wanted to be left alone!

Her words dried up and her eyes widened. She saw the 'stupid bull youkai' running with full speed towards her and lowering its horns. She was about to be impaled, and all she could do was stand there and stare stupidly at approaching death.

Suddenly there was a loud ripping sound, and the bull exploded in front of her, splattering her completely with blood. Inu-Yasha stood in front of her, his sword down and smoking from the attack.

Kagome blinked. "_Well, that was unexpected,_" she thought. She noted detachedly that her migraine had disappeared.

And then she was in pain. It spread through her until it was all she could feel. She unconsciously grasped her eyes, whimpering. Sango was checking a man on the ground nearby when she heard her.

She quickly called Inu-Yasha. "We have to rinse the blood off of her quickly," she said hurriedly. "It has acid in it that can really damage her." Inu-Yasha picked her up and they ran back to the village.

Once there, Sango stayed with Kagome while Inu-Yasha went to find water. "You'll be okay in a second, Kagome. Just stay calm. Breathe," she told her. Inside she was worried.

Inu-Yasha sprinted back with a huge barrel of water that he dumped over Kagome. Immediately the burning sensation lessened.

Sango checked her arms and her face. Luckily she had been wearing a long-sleeved shirt, so the burns on her arms were minor.

Surprisingly, her face wasn't badly burned, considering a lot of blood hit her there. The only problem was her eyes. Sango was very concerned but she tried not to show it. "How do you feel?" she asked. Kagome opened her eyes, and Inu-Yasha clenched his fists. They were red, as if she had been crying.

"My eyes itch something awful," she answered. "But at least the migraine's gone." She raised her hands to wipe her eyes, but Sango stopped her.

"It's best that you don't touch your eyes until after you wash them," she said soothingly. Kagome frowned but shrugged. "I suppose that makes sense." She paused then looked around.

"Hey, Sango. Are we in a cave or something? I can't even see you." She shifted until she found Sango's shoulders and grabbed them. Sango looked up at Inu-Yasha worriedly. She didn't want to tell Kagome that they were in the middle of a room with lights all around them.

"You guys? Are you still there? Why are you so quiet?" Kagome asked, confused. Her voice lowered. "Where are you?"

Miroku ran panting to them with Shippo on his shoulder, overhearing her last question. He looked at her eyes, blankly staring at them, and his face paled.

"_This is not good at all,_" he thought.

-------------

A/N: To those of you who made it to this point, thanks for bearing with me. I know that action scenes can become boring, especially I prefer dialogue myself. To those of you that didn't: what are you doing down here? if you read the first chapter (hopefully you have) you know that the star means that you can try to guess who wrote the poem/quote. If you didn't know, you do now. I think that this one is fairly easy, but hey. ;)


	3. Worst Fears

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha or anything of or related to him. So there.

A/N: Third chapter! Huzzah! Thanks again to the lovely reviewers: mangadreams, Chihiro, Neckroz209, kitty moon priestess, kagsbigfan, Yasha'z Wifey Kyome (did you mean Kagome? ;P), wildthuhdakat, and StarlightDemonFiresong! Cookies for all!

The last poem was called 'The Difference Between Despair' by Emily Dickinson. Nobody guessed! Come on, people! You can do it!

_Life is short,_

_And pleasures few,_

_And holed the ship,_

_And drowned the crew,_

_But o! But o!_

_How very blue_

_The sea is!_

Chapter 3

It was dark. No light whatsoever. Black surrounded her. She took a deep breath. "_You can do this,_" Kagome told herself. "_Just act like it's a blindfold…that you can't take off…_"

She started some meditation exercises that Miroku taught her a few days ago.The group decided to have a private group conversation in one of the empty huts.

"Inu-Yasha, I think I should visit a doctor in my time to get my eyes checked out," Kagome said in the direction she thought he was in.

When he didn't answer immediately she pressed, "Well, at least back to Kaede to get her opinion."

Miroku nodded. "I think that is a wise idea. The quicker the better, since we don't know if the condition will get worse." Kagome grimaced.

"_Great way to put things into perspective, Miroku,_" she thought grumpily. Miroku saw her and winced internally. He knew that his wording made her anxious, but he had to say it to get the stubborn hanyou to agree.

Inu-Yasha glared at him. "I **know** that! As long as she comes back to tell us the results," he said. Kagome hugged him. "Thanks, Inu-Yasha," she said gratefully. He awkwardly patted her back, muttering, "Keh! I'm not the cold-hearted bastard you all think I am!"

Sango smiled. "Now that that's settled, we should leave tomorrow morning. I don't think it would be safe to travel at this time," she said getting up. Inu-Yasha nodded as she went out to talk to Aito who was waiting for them.

Moments later she came back smiling. "Aito said that we could stay in this building, since it's the cleanest." Inu-Yasha looked around the room. "Aren't we lucky?" he said sarcastically.

There were piles of debris all over the floor. Leaves and dirt, along with some broken pottery were shoved into a corner as a failed attempt at clearing some of the junk.

Kagome heard them shuffling around, and tried to get up. "What can I take out?" she asked the general space around her. Sango saw her stumbling and hurried to her side. "Don't worry, Kagome-chan. We're almost done already. You don't have to get up," she said.

Kagome sat down slowly. She thought for a second. "Well how about I get some food out?" she asked. She reached for her pack, only to feel the material leave her fingers.

"I got it, wench," Inu-Yasha said gruffly. "You just sit there and relax, got it?"

She nodded glumly. She knew they were trying to keep her from doing things that might stress the fact that she couldn't see. But she could still function! They really didn't have to coddle her.

She decided that she wouldn't bother them anymore and decided to think about her upcoming doctor's visit instead. Thinking about her mother's worries and the doctor's questions about the incident made her cringe, but she had to be strong.

If only she could remember that tomorrow.

--------------------

Getting out of the well with all of her stuff was hard, but she had to go through with it since she had refused Inu-Yasha's help. She could practically feel his eyes on her, watching intently in case she slipped.

Fabric ticked her neck, distracting her. After telling herself to imagine a blindfold, she decided to put one on to trick her mind into thinking that the reason she couldn't see was because of the fabric and not because of the acid.

After clearing the lip of the well, she turned around until she felt the fabric of Inu-Yasha's kimono. Once he was sure she was secure, he slowly started to walk up the steps and out of the well house.

During the seemingly long walk to the house, Kagome went over her script one last time. She was nervous, but decided that the truth would be the best thing to tell her mother.

"Okay," Inu-Yasha said when they reached the door. He put her hand on the doorknob.

He paused. "Are you sure about this, Kagome?" he asked.

"Inu-Yasha," she said, pleadingly. She made him promise before they came that he would go back to the Feudal Era after dropping her off. Of course he wanted to go with her now, but he already agreed.

"You promised," she reminded him. He growled. "Yeah and now I'm starting to regret it," he said angrily.

"Inu-Yasha," she said, patting his upper arm. "I'll be alright." She heard him sigh.

"Fine. I'll be there when you get back," he said quietly.

When he let go of her hand, she had to resist the urge to pull him back. She heard the well door slide closed, and waited a few more seconds before sighing.

She opened the door and felt her way inside, feeling for the counter and the chair a few paces forward. She knew the kitchen very well, but she was still nervous that she would hit something.

She could hear her mother puttering around in the hallway, and decided to stop wasting time. "Mama, I'm back," she called shakily. "I have something to tell you."

--------------------

It was official. The doctor confirmed her worst fears: she was officially and legally blind.

With a stick and everything. She even had some dark tinted glasses to shield the public from her unfocused stare. She preferred the blindfold.

They were returning home from the doctor's office, and she and her mom decided that silence would be the easiest thing for them to handle. This gave her time to think about what happened.

They decided to wait a day before going to get diagnosed, giving Kagome time to relax at home before having to struggle on the public streets.

The doctor said that her situation was delicate – and that there was hope for recovery since only a small part of her retina was damaged – but based her recovery on a stress-free environment.

She gently touched her head to the window. "_Shard-hunting is definitely out of the question,_" she thought drearily. "_Just thinking about it stresses me out…_"

"_But Inu-Yasha will be mad if I don't come back…_" she paused then sat up, anger spread across her face.

"_Why should Inu-Yasha's happiness be more important than mine! I'm the one with the eye injury….but I couldn't do that to Sango, Miroku and Shippo…I have to go back_."

The thought didn't lighten her mood, but she knew that it would be easier to go there than dealing with school and her nosy friends in her era, especially in her current condition.

"_My current condition,_" she thought bitterly as her mother helped her out of the car. "_If they knew about this I would be so humiliated_," she thought.

A voice cut through her reflection, making her frown. "Oh no," she moaned. Her mother rushed ahead to try to delay the visitor.

"Mrs. Higurashi! I dropped by to see how Kagome's doing, what with her typhus acting up again. I brought something to help her!" Hojo said earnestly.

"Hello, Hojo. Her typhus symptoms cleared up, thankfully….but Kagome had a bit of an accident, so I –" He saw Kagome coming up and quickly went to her, ignoring her mother.

"Kagome! How are you! I'm glad to hear that—" he gasped when he saw her dark glasses and walking stick.

"Oh no! What happened? Here, let me help you to the door!"

He ran to her side and grabbed her hand holding the stick. "I had a bad run-in with some strong acid…" she said, mentally cursing the bad-luck spirit that seemed to be following her.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hojo said seriously. "Maybe I could bring over something tomorrow, since my current gift was for the typhus."

"I won't be here tomorrow, sorry Hojo," she quickly cut in. "My doctor recommended a very relaxing environment for my recuperation, and I'm going to the…the countryside!" she said, thinking of another word for the Feudal Era.

"Oh." His expression dimmed. "Well, when you come back, I'll be sure to bring it for you."

They arrived at the door. "It was nice talking to you again, Hojo." '_Yeah, right,_' she thought. "Maybe I'll see you when I get back."

She let her mother take her arm and guide her into the house, closing the door on poor Hojo.

"_Oh my dear Kagome,_" he thought sadly as he watched her go. "_You are so delicate! But I'll be here to guide you to wellness!_" Triumphantly he walked home, already thinking of gift ideas.

"I'm sorry Kagome. I tried to distract him," her mother said apologetically. "I know mama. It's okay," she answered, patting her hand.

Now all she had to do was get back to the Feudal Era without any more incidents, and everything would be fine.

She threw the glasses away from her and pulled the bandanna out of her pocket. "_Relaxation is the key,_" she thought. "_I just need to convince Inu-Yasha of that._"

--------------------

A/N: okay, here's the jiffy. I was going to put Sesshomaru in this chapter, but my conscience told me that I couldn't fairly skip the details about Kagome. So Sessho got pushed to the next chapter. Hopefully he'll be there. --; As for the pairing, I want this to be a Kagome/Sesshomaru fic, but I haven't figured out exactly how that will happen. And I can't just force it; that wouldn't be right. It's not very reassuring, but have some faith in me! I'm going to try.

P.S. – can you guess who wrote the poem? There are kind of two answers for this one. :)


	4. Tight Leash

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha or anything related to his series. XP

A/N: Fourth chapter! Huzzah! Thanks to all the lovely, lovely reviewers: The Great Susinko, InuYashaLover8706, mangadreams, darkhanyou27, and StarPrincess2020! Cookies for all!

wildthundakat: You were right! Kudos and a cookie for ya, matey! (pirate talk)

'_My heart leaps up when I behold_

_A rainbow in the sky;_

_So was it when my life began;_

_So is it now I am a man;_

_So be it when I shall grow old._

_Or let me die!_

_The Child is father of the Man;_

_And I could wish my days to be_

_Bound each to each by natural piety.'_

Chapter 4

Kagome got up early the next day, hoping she was the only one awake. She asked her mom last night to set her clothes on the edge of her bed, so it was relatively easy for her to get dressed without too many problems.

Her bag was already packed, everything was stocked up. All she had to do was leave. She felt a little guilty about leaving without saying goodbye, but she wanted to avoid the dramatic scene her mother was sure to start.

She would probably go on about how worried she would be, especially now that Kagome couldn't even see where she was going, and to visit soon so that she would know that she was alright.

Kagome sighed as she quietly opened her door. She was starting to look both ways when she realized that it was pointless. '_Focus with your ears,_' she told herself.

She could hear Souta's snores down the hall. She couldn't hear her mother's breath, but that was normal since she was usually a quiet sleeper.

She walked close to the wall, feeling her way along. She knew that the stairs were about to start soon, so she slid her feet slowly until she felt a drop under her foot. She went down the stairs and started to feel her way to the kitchen table. Once she got there she knew she would be able to make it to the door.

Her hand came into contact with the chair, but something was pressed against it. She ran her hand along the back, and felt some kind of fabric. Maybe it was draped over the back?

She followed the fabric up, until she reached strands of hair. Crap.

"Kagome," her mother said calmly. "I know you so well." Kagome hung her head. "It's not that I didn't want to say good-bye," she started lamely.

"I know," her mother answered. "You just didn't want to hear me worry about you. I won't say anything but to be careful. That's all." Kagome's lip trembled. "Thanks, mama," she said softly.

"You should be glad that I'm here. How else would you get across the backyard to the well house?" her mother teased as she took her hand. She had a good point.

"_Come to think of it, I didn't think of how I would get there_," she thought sheepishly.

They walked in a few moments of silence before her mother said, "You know, Souta's going to be angry. He was starting to like the idea of leading you around the house and taking you places." Kagome smiled. "But you'll tell him I said bye, right?"

"Yes, of course I will," her mom answered.

They reached the well house, and her mother paused to open the door before leading her inside. They walked down the steps and stopped. Kagome let go of her mother's arm and walked forward until she felt the well.

"Do you need help?" her mother asked. "No, I got it," Kagome answered as she swung her legs over and sat on the edge. "Bye, mama," she said.

"Bye" was the reply she heard as she pushed off and fell into the well. She didn't her mother's prayers to kami to keep her daughter safe.

--------------------

Kagome carefully climbed up the vines of the well and was greeted with the pure air and tranquil feeling of the Feudal Era.

"Ah, fresh air!" Kagome murmured to herself. She had been in the Feudal Era for only a few moments when she felt a whoosh of air next to her signaling Inu-Yasha's arrival.

"Keh. Took ya long enough, wench," he muttered as he put her hand on his sleeve. "I missed you too, Inu-Yasha," she said sarcastically.

When they reached the village a few moments later, Shippo was there to meet her along with Sango. "Kagome, you're back!" he exclaimed and jumped on her shoulder. She twitched nervously but he didn't notice as he started patting her cheek. "I missed you and I'm glad that you're back. Inu-Yasha was being a meanie!"

She raised her eyebrows. "Was he now?" she asked. Inu-Yasha glared at the kit who stuck his tongue out at him.

"I wasn't mean! Don't believe him!" he said angrily. Shippo grinned. "Just kidding. I just wanted to see you squirm," he said before jumping out of Inu-Yasha's reach.

"Why you – come here, brat!"

Sango took Kagome's arm after Inu-Yasha left. "So what did the doctor say, Kagome-chan?" Kagome sighed. "It's not good, Sango. He said that I was blind, but that I could recover if I had a relaxing environment. We all know that's impossible with Inu-Yasha and the jewel shards around."

Sango frowned. "I don't think we should go hunting for jewel shards with you in this condition. And if Inu-Yasha pushes it, I'm going to hit him. Very hard."

Kagome grinned. "Especially if he starts stressing me out!" Sango nodded. "Exactly."

Kagome had positive feelings about her stay there with Sango's promise, and she was excited at the thought of a whole week of rest and leisure.

--------------------

Kagome knew she spoke too soon when that afternoon came around. Everyone was smothering her, and she was irritated. She tried not to show it, but every time they told her not to worry, it caused the opposite affect.

It was in her nature to want to help with any project, but they refused to let her, always taking her back to the same chair and saying they'd bring her some water or something to occupy her. Like she was a baby!

She got up from said chair and immediately Sango was at her side. "Do you need anything, Kagome-chan?" she asked, concerned.

"Sango-chan, will you take me to Inu-Yasha, please?" she asked with as much patience as she could muster.

Sango blinked. She would have thought that Kagome's vacation wouldn't have anything to do with Inu-Yasha. But she shrugged and led the other girl to the tree that he was sleeping under outside.

"Inu-Yasha, Kagome wants a moment," she said. Inu-Yasha opened one eye and glanced her.

"What do you want, wench? I thought you were resting," he said casually.

Kagome sighed. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. It's been hard for me to relax with you guys hovering over me like I'm going to break. I know that you mean well and I appreciate it, but it's not working."

Inu-Yasha opened his other eye. "What exactly do you want to do?" he asked suspiciously as he and Sango glanced at each other.

"I was thinking of going to the meadow in Inu-Yasha's forest for some alone time and reflection," she said earnestly.

"Are you out of your freaking mind!" Inu-Yasha jumped up. "You want us to take you to a meadow and-and leave you there!" "You don't have to leave me there," she answered. "You could just be a little away from me, like in the adjoining forest or something."

"This doesn't sound like a good idea, Kagome," Sango said dubiously. "What something happens and we can't reach you in time?"

Miroku and Shippo had come up by this time and heard the problem. "I think it is a wonderful idea. Kagome should have some time away from us to privately enjoy herself and understand her situation," Miroku said.

"Please, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome begged him. "I'll make you ramen when I'm better…" Inu-Yasha snorted. "I already know that you'll make me ramen!"

He still thought about it. He sighed. "Fine! But the minute something happens you yell and we'll be there."

Kagome grinned and hugged him. "Keh," he muttered, blushing.

"And we won't be too far or nothin'," he added. "That's fine," she said happily. Finally some peace with her thoughts! Just her and nature together again for some one-on-one bonding.

--------------------

Of course it just so happened that her method of bonding with nature was staring at the sky and the clouds, and observing the animals. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Kagome sighed as Inu-Yasha reviewed 'the plan' again. She didn't have the heart to tell him that the trip was a waste of time, so she sat through his lecture of what to do if something happened. For the fifth time.

"I know what to do, Inu-Yasha," she interrupted exasperatedly. "Just go already so that I can be one with my surroundings!"

He rolled his eyes and started to walk away. "Fine. But don't forget!" he shouted back.

Once everything settled, she walked to what she thought was the center of the meadow and sat down.

"_If only I could see the sky…_" she thought as she felt the grass under her legs. "_I just have to make do with this until it's over,_" she thought firmly as she picked a flower.

--------------------

Sesshomaru was traveling with his ward and Jaken when he smelled her sent. "_Inu-Yasha's woman,_" he thought to himself. "_Maybe she will have news of that pathetic half-breed._"

He was talking about Naraku, the current bane of his existence. Even more so than his pathetic sibling, which was saying a lot. He made up his mind to go and pay her a visit.

"Jaken. Watch Rin," he said calmly to his retainer. "But-but my Lord!" Jaken squawked. "That filthy human-child will probably torture me while you're gone! Please don't go!"

Sesshomaru looked at the toad. "Do not question me, Jaken. I expect her to be in the same condition when I get back, or you shall suffer the consequences." He gave him 'the look', and Jaken gulped, knowing exactly what the consequences would be.

He left his group and headed towards her. When he reached her, the sight surprised him. She was sitting in a meadow with flowers, reminding him strongly of how Rin behaved at his castle…or any place where flowers existed, for that matter.

"Woman," he said, coming up behind her. He saw her jerk and look around wildly, but he ignored it and continued. "This Sesshomaru has some questions for you."

When she didn't turn and acknowledge him, he started to get annoyed.

"Woman," he said dangerously, taking a step closer. "You will answer when I talk to you, or there will be pain."

She finally turned in his direction, and he saw a strange blue cloth over her eyes. "Where are you?" she asked fearfully.

He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her up. "I previously thought you were smarter than the rest of your kind, but I see I am mistaken," he growled.

"_Does she not know that she has a cloth obstructing her vision?_" he thought distractedly as he snatched the cloth away. His anger increased when he saw that she had her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes," he demanded to her. She didn't immediately do so, making him snarl.

"You will do so unless you want to feel my claws in your throat," he said menacingly.

She paused, and then opened her eyes. Her eyes were looking straight at him, but there was no spark of recognition or fear. Her gaze was just…empty. He only got a second to notice these things before his half-brother sprinted into the clearing.

"Put her down, ya bastard!" Inu-Yasha roared at him, whipping out his sword. He didn't answer, but stared at her for another second before dropping her.

She instantly scooted back, whispering, "Inu-Yasha," desperately. He quickly grabbed the bandana and scooped her up.

Abruptly, Sango ran into the field, followed by Miroku and Shippo. Sango immediately analyzed the situation and took charge of Kagome, retying her bandanna.

"Take Kagome back to the campsite. I'll meet you there," Inu-Yasha said while watching Sesshomaru.

Sango nodded, and the group left the way they came.

As soon as they were gone, Inu-Yasha exploded. "What the hell is your problem?" he shouted. Sesshomaru ignored his question, instead deciding to ask one himself. "What is wrong with her?" he asked quietly.

Inu-Yasha sighed and lowered his sword. "Not that it's any of your business, but she was blinded by some acid from a bull youkai," he said, looking away.

"…I see," Sesshomaru answered, looking intently at where the group exited. Now he understood why the woman had the bandanna on her face. It was not that she didn't know that it was there. She knew quite well; she just didn't want to take it off.

"I have come to ask for new information about Naraku," he said a few moments later. Inu-Yasha bristled.

"…You do not know where he is," Sesshomaru stated flatly. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," Inu-Yasha spat.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Indeed," he said. He then turned and left the clearing.

Inu-Yasha was surprised at his brother's retreat, but shrugged it off and went to find the group. He had decided that it was past time that they headed back to the village.

"_No more of these trips,_" he thought firmly.

--------------------

Sesshomaru visited the miko again the next day. It wasn't that he was sorry about the way he treated her. He just wanted to see how she was dealing with her handicap. He would never feel sorry towards a human!

He found her sitting by a stream – alone again – without the bandanna. "Why do you come here if you can not see, woman?" he asked. He saw her jump and cover her eyes with her hand.

"I don't have to see it to know that it's beautiful," she answered truthfully. "Hn," he answered. While she was talking she was re-tying the bandanna around her head.

There was a moment of silence before his next question. "Why do you wear that cloth?" he asked.

She turned her head in his direction. "Because my eyes make the villagers nervous. It also makes me think that the dark is there because I chose it to be," was her response.

"So you are hiding behind it," he said, eyes narrow.

"You can call it whatever you want. I don't care as long as it calms me down," she retorted bravely.

She was incredibly nervous to be talking to a powerful demon that could kill her, but she was glad that her voice didn't shake. "_I can do this,_" she thought boldly.

"So was there something you wanted, other than to question me about my problems?" she asked. He glared at her tone. "I do not care about your suffering," he said scornfully. "I was merely curious to see about how your kind handles this kind of situation."

She was silent before nodding. "I'm not going to break down anytime soon, if that's what you think," she said.

"We shall see, woman," he answered coldly. "I have seen many situations like yours. Everyone ends up falling apart sooner or later."

She twisted fully to face him, her set in a frown. "I will not fall apart! You'll see," she said defiantly.

"Indeed we shall," he said. He turned and left, blood boiling.

That woman irritated him to no end. He should have known that she would upset him so. He decided that he wouldn't come tomorrow. He had lands to run; he couldn't waste time observing a pitiful human woman.

--------------------

Kagome stared at the spot that he was in. "Sesshomaru?" she asked hesitantly. She was suddenly afraid that she had pushed him past his limit.

"Are you still there?" she asked.

"Kagome?"

She jumped and turned. "Shippo?" she said.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked curiously as he jumped to her shoulder.

It took her a minute before she put two and two together. "That jerk!" she hissed. "He just left me without saying anything!"

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Shippo asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, Shippo," she answered, cooling down. She was still a little angry, but she knew that it was typical of him to leave without saying anything. If she could see, she would have known that he had left.

"Let's go get some food," she said. She would not let him get her down with his pessimistic views. "_I'll show him!_" she thought.

--------------------

A/N: I think that was a rather long chapter since it took me forever to update, especially since I knew what I had to write. I know, I was stalling! But school just started, so please don't expect this much every time. Only if I take a really long time (which I'll try not to do). Thank you all for your suggestions.

P.S. – try to guess who wrote that above italicized passage for some kudos! Yummy! ;)

P.P.S. (I tend to go overboard with this stuff) – while my spell check said that nothing was wrong, there might be a word that doesn't fit with the context (like I was thinking of writing something but I actually wrote something else spelled the same way). I'm sorry. There's a lot of writing, so I might have missed it.


	5. Author Announcement

Author Announcement: I'm very sorry you guys, but my computer was fried on Tuesday Nov. 1st.  
I was three-quarters of the way done with the next chapter for Seeing Stars when it broke down.  
Now we are waiting for the people at Fry's to either fix it (meaning they will restore it and things will be fine!) or they'll say it's hopeless and we'll have to get a new computer. Right now we have a loaner from Fry's so that we can exist while they observe our computer which is how I'm writing this...

If it turns out that the computer is finished, then I'll try to rewrite the lost chapter. If the computer is fine and dandy, then you'll have nothing to worry about.  
Sorry about this hold up. I really was working on the chapter before this happened.  
Crimson Pooka :( 


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